Stanford Medical School Dean: Physician burnout is 'not just individuals acting out' it is a systemic issue

Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, emphasized that physician burnout is a systemic issue the industry must address, according to a Stanford Medicine blog post.

Dr. Minor revealed his insights at the American Conference on Physician Health: Creating an Organizational Foundation to Achieve Joy in Medicine, which was held in San Francisco last week. 

"This is not just individuals acting out, this is really a systemic issue we face as a profession and it's affecting our ability to deliver the very best care to our patients," Dr. Minor said.  "We realized quickly that this was an issue we needed to address. And not just that we wanted to address, we wanted to lead."

Now, as the dean of the university medical school, Dr. Minor has the opportunity to understand the factors contributing to physician burnout to ultimately ensure better conditions for patients.

A factor contributing to physician burnout, according to Dr. Minor, is the current EHR model. He suggested amending the design of the EHR to create more efficient portals, adding that a more efficient EHR "can't come soon enough."

In addition, Dr. Minor emphasized that showing compassion and empathy is something leaders of healthcare organizations need to demonstrate in their interactions to help ensure physician wellbeing. 

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